We Meet Again in Winter
by Irene Papadaki
Summary: Arya's heading to King's Landing to kill Cersei&be free of the list of names she's been whispering at night for years. Things there don't turn up the way she planned & she's forced to go to the one place she's left. Winterfell's no longer the home she remembered,but those she finds inside, including a certain smith,warm her heart against the cold winter. Set in s7 of GoT after 7x01
1. Wolves, Lions and a Bull-Headed Stag

Chapter 1: Wolves, Lions and a Bull-Headed Stag

Arya

"I'm going to kill the queen"

Once these words escaped her mouth, clear and serious, the reaction she received didn't surprise her, for who was so careless, so stupid as to think that a girl her size would ever be able to murder the blonde demon who had taken possession of the Iron Throne?

She laughed along with the kind lads who had shared their food and wine with her and allowed herself to speak no more. Much as they smiled, Arya had learnt not to trust people easily long ago, and she had learnt it the hard way. That's why she let them believe she was joking. She was just another weak orphan girl, traveling in hopes of getting herself a better life. Nothing more and nothing less than that. And they believed her.

In the night she decided it was time to go. She took another look at the stone where the soldiers' swords were placed but took her eyes away right after. Not today. She wouldn't betray these people today. She wouldn't steal them or kill them. "Be kind to strangers and they will be kind to you" that guy had said and she decided not to disappoint him.

By the time she started riding her horse again she could already see the sun making its appearance. Kings Landing was presumably five days away. She had a plan, but in order to complete it she would need to take yet another life away. One that wasn't included in her list, but she had convinced herself it was necessary. She wouldn't feel guilty afterwards. After all, Jaime Lannister was a spitting image of his beloved sister. Surely his heart was equally cold, and therefore no harm would be done while taking it.

Jon

He heard the knock on his door as soon as he was done reading Jaime Lannister's note. It was short but perfectly clear, though it rose millions of questions he was unable to answer. How had the male Lannister managed to send such note without the queen taking notice? How was it possible to trust what the note read, especially given the fact that it was written by the one person known as "the man without honor"? What kind of trick was he playing at him?

"Come in" he said and his voice sounded tired between his thoughts.

"Am I disturbing you, milord?" Davos asked as he entered the room.

"No, I do need a break. Is it something specific you want, sir Davos?"

"It is, actually. See, for a while now I've been in touch with a boy I've been helping. He's a smith, and a good one from what I can tell. Until recently he worked at a forge in Flee Bottom, I myself sent him there. But I received a letter from him, telling me the situation in King's Landing keeps getting worse. The queen knows no mercy. The crowds are disappointed and they fear for their lives. I took the initiative to invite him here, in Winterfell. We need good smiths and the kid is honorable. I hope there is no problem in allowing him entrance here."

Jon listened to the man's words carefully and it ocurred to him that something about this story wasn't quite right.

"I would gladly accept a smith, but, sir Davos, why is this lad so important to you? In what way did you help him?"

It took several moments before he answered, which betrayed that he was indeed hiding something.

"The boy needed my help, and so I handed it. He was in great danger."

"You couldn't be more specific, sir Davos" Jon said with the hint of a smile and that was when Davos decided it was worthless trying to hide.

"The smith was to be executed on command of lord Stannis Baratheon. Due to the Red Woman's influence, Stannis was convinced the boy needed to be sacrificed."

"I don't understand. What good would the sacrifice of a simple smith do?" he asked though in reality, he didn't understand what good any sacrifice would ever bring. He would always refuse to believe in the Red Woman's logic and this was no exception.

"Aye, Gendry is no simple smith. He is the bastard son of Robert Baratheon."

Arya

Her stomach had already started to ache but she refused to stop her horse for so long as to chase something to kill and it. She wanted her arrival to be as quick as possible, her mission even quicker.

There had been many times during these days when she was tempted, just for a second, to head far north and follow the rout to her home. Would she find anyone there, she knew not. Rumors of the Starks' sigil hanging on the walls of Winterfell had reached her ears but she knew better than to believe them. They talked of Jon and Sansa as if they were living, breathing creatures, as if they were ruling their small kingdom, as if they were heroes. But all that could simply be a bunch of lies, the remnants of a fairytale some nanny had come up with at a place way far from where she was. They could be nothing, or they could be everything. She chose the first option, for the second brought hope with it and she couldn't allow herself that.

Though there were these little moments when she allowed herself to escape reality and clinge to that little breath of life called hope. At these moments she pictured Jon ruling Winterfell, Sansa by his side, alive and well, her red hair dancing like flames because of the cold wind of the North.

But she mostly thought of them at the simplest and most unlikely occasions; Jon's face clouded her vision sometimes when she touched the handle of her Needle. Her sister's beauty invaded her mind everytime she tried to pull her annoying hair back and out of her face. She thought of Hot Pie sometimes when she chewed on her food and instantly the wolf shaped bread he had made her reminded her of Nymeria. One time she even caught herself thinking of a certain smith with a bull head helmet while taking a piss.

"Pull your cock out and take a piss then" once his words returned to her memory she found herself laughing hysterically until she couldn't even breathe anymore. And then her laugh turned into sobs without even realising it.

Arya would remember that day clearly for it was the first time after many years when she allowed herself to cry like that. She cried for what she had lost and for what she thought she had lost. She cried until she was sure there were no more tears to spill. She cried and then she went numb.

And thinking that all those tears were caused because she went to take a piss was so ridiculous that it made her want to laugh all over again.

Gendry

The invitation to Winterfell was probably the best news he had received in a while. He never thought he would say this, but he needed out of Flee Bottom as soon as possible. It may have been his home once, but it didn't feel like it anymore. The cruelty he witnessed everyday was unbearable. The queen had certainly lost her mind and if by any chance she found out he was still alive, she would undoubtedly want to fix that awful mistake.

However that was not the only reason the idea of heading to Winterfell intrigued him so much. That place brought back memories Gendry had tried rather hard to forget. Not that he'd ever been there, but her endless discriptions were detailed enough to make it possible for him to picture this place exactly as it was.

He took a deep breath as he allowed his horse to lead him. The memory of a little girl's face, full of sheer determination, endless stubborness and unbreakable strength entered his mind but once again, he tried so hard to push it away for it was more than likely that she was nothing more than a bag of bones by now. He knew, though, that heading North would only fuel those memories instead of making them fade away. Much as he wanted to meet her brother, who he had heard so much about, and her sister, he knew how much pain interacting with them would cause him.

The sorrow that now covered him made him realise just how much Arya had actually meant to him. She was a pain in the ass, yes. But the traits he admired about her were far more than those that annoyed him.

"I can be your family" she had said. And right then and there he realised she had been the closest thing to family he had had in a while. And now she was probably gone.

Jon

"I once heard the story of a lion and a wolf becoming unlikely allies to take revenge upon a lioness who had betrayed them both. It seems not every lion is eager to bend the knee to his queen. I know a few who are not."

That was the third time Sansa read the note out-loud and every time the shock on her face was more than evident. But above all she looked confused, as was he.

"What could the meaning of this be?" she asked as she finally placed the small piece of paper on his desk.

"I think the meaning is clear enough. It's the intention that's clouded." he replied.

"Could he really be that stupid as to think we will fall for his tricks? I don't get it."

"That's exactly what worries me. If this is a trap, how can he be so sure we will believe him? He's the bloody Kingslayer. I just.." Jon was at a loss for words. This situation was utterly new to him, he didn't know what to make of it.

"Let's get a few things straight. Jaime Lannister has always been blindly devoted to Cersei. If what we've been hearing all these years is true, the love they have for each other is something more than the love between siblings" Sansa paused then, and as her gaze met Jon's he could see her cheeks slightly turning red. "But.." she continued, "he's also been kind too. He was kind to me and he was kind to his Imp brother, even when everyone else mocked him shamelessly. What if he's not what people think of him, after all? What if he's always secretly wanted to stand up to his sister, but never found the courage to?"

"That is all a bit too romantic, don't you think? This is clearly a trap, we can't trust him just because he's done two or three decent things amongst his thousand sins." his tone was strict now and as soon as he spoke that way he instantly regretted it. But Sansa's expression didn't seem hurt. It was fire that was burning inside the blue of her orbs.

"All I am saying is we should handle this carefully. If we are too quick to make assumptions it is more than likely that we will make a grand mistake. We ought to consider all the possible explanations behind his actions before making a final decision."

Jon was surprised by the certainty in her words. Her thinking was political while he often caught himself being overwhelmed by emotion. If they managed to find themselves on common ground they could achieve a lot.

"I'm sorry. I know you're trying to help but the responsibility I bear is too big, too sudden." he sighed then, thinking of the amount of information he had received in only one day. Apart from the Kingslayer's letter, he had also been informed about a Baratheon bestard he had previously known nothing about. Could he be yet another possible heir to the Iron Throne? Jon had no patience to think about that too, so he made no reference to Sansa about it. They had enough problems already.

"You are right." he said, focusing on the task at hand. "We need to be careful. Do you have anything in mind?" he asked her, deciding he should trust her judgement.

"I do, actually. There is someone who could give us some insight on Lord Jaime's way of thinking. She travelled with him long enough and she even seems to have developed a bond with him. Maybe she sees something in him that we don't."

"She?" Jon asked, curiosity taking over him.

"We should send someone call for Brienne of Tarth. I'm sure she will have plenty to say."

-End of chapter 1-


	2. Eyes You'll Shut Forever

Gendry

He felt the cold winter air invade his skin to the point where it made his bones ache as he reached Winterfell. His clothing was poor and unable to protect him from this weather. He could feel the steps of his horse weaken along with his own exhausted body. The hunger rang warning bells in his stomach, for he hadn't eaten in two days. The more he went north, the less animals he was able to find and kill. The day before he only found a dead rabbit which he assumed had died o fthe cold weather since there were no signs of it being beaten by an arrow. But that too seemed to have died days ago; it stank so much that Gendry couldn't even approach it, let alone eat it.

However it was the stillness of the night that was the most unbearable. He hadn't come across an inn within miles, so he had to bear with the freezing cold. He kept rubbing his arms in a vain attempt to get warmer but he still found it impossible to sleep. After several hours that seemed like decades he managed to drift off, only for a few minutes, and when he woke up he wished he hadn't slept at all, for disturbed sleeps followed disturbing nightmares.

He dreamt of Winterfell, or of what he pictured as Winterfell. The feeling that came over the Gendry of his dreams as he set foot to his destination was that of relief because, finally, he was there. But a moment later another feeling was quick to replace that relief. As he approached the castle before him, he noticed hundreds of people forming a circle around something -or better- someone who lay still on the ground. Cries of grief and sorrow reached his ears and by the moment he too joined the circle, those people's cries were replaced by his own. The one who lay there was the last person who deserved it. A girl too small to be in such a huge mess of her own blood. Her eyes were wide open, the light and the flames that formerly danced within their grey colour now long gone. And as soon as his hand reached down to gently shut those empty eyes forever, he woke up.

The next morning was worse than the ones before that, but at least he knew he was close. With some good luck he would be at Winterfell by nightfall in one piece.

Jon

"You asked for me, lord Snow?" Brienne said as she entered the room.

"Yes, lady Brienne, we would like to speak to you on a very important matter. In fact, we could use your help." Jon said, hoping she was willing to reveal something that could prove useful.

"It would be my honour to prove as helpful as possible, my lord."

"We need to be assured, however, that all that is said here in this room remains among the three of us. The matter we are about to discuss is really important and we chose to trust you." Sansa added, making her point clear.

"I will not let you down, you have my word"

At those words, Jon inhaled deeply and handed Brienne the single piece of paper sent by Jaime Lannister.

As the woman read the letter, she managed to contain her emotions, forJon couldn't see from her expression what she was thinking. It did seem to him, though, that it was pride that washed her face.

"Sir Jaime sent you this?" Brienne asked as soon as she finished reading, and her voice was half a tone higher than usual. This news had apparently affected her more than he would have imagined.

"Yes, and we obviously do not know what to make of it. We were hoping you would know something more on the matter, given the time you spent with the Kingslayer." Instantly, he saw the expression on her face change, a hint of irritance altering her hard features.

"His name is Sir Jaime." Brienne was quick to correct before she could stop herself. The looks she received from both Jon and Sansa were those of pure curiosity.

"I apologise, I shouldn't have burst out like that." she said lowering her gaze.

"Please, do not apologise. I would actually like to hear what it was that led you to defend.. sir Jaime's name so adamantly." at Sansa's words, Jon nodded, encouraging Brienne to speak freely.

"All I can say is that I had misjudged sir Jaime before meeting him. He is not the monster I thought him to be. He's done terrible things, there's a reason behind our each and every action. And during the time I held him prisoner for your lady mother, I was a witness of the kindness he hides within him."

There was silence for a few moments after that. Jon realised then that this was the opinion of one person. He couldn't base his decision on that unless he knew exactly what had happened to make Brienne reconsider when it came to Jaime Lannister.

"Lady Brienne, I do realise that there might be some things you'd rather not share with others, but this here is of great significance. If this letter here speaks the truth, then we have a brand new ally on our side. Jaime and the people he claims to be against the queen could help us defeat her. If this is true, we could end the war." those words sounded so strange to him, but so sweet at the same time. What wouldn't he do to make sure this wasn't just a trap.

"My Lord, I won't lie to you. I can't be certain what Sir Jaime wrote in this letter is true. I am in no position to assure you of his trustworthiness, nor can I deny his devotion to the queen. I could however share with you something he only ever told me. Whether you'll believe it or not is upon your own judgement."

Arya

She would be at King's Landing in four days. The more she approached the place she once lived in the more she felt uncomfortable in her own skin. With the face of Arya Stark it was more than possible to be recognized now that she was heading there.

She stopped her horse and she pulled out her masks. The wall of faces had come in quite handy; she had managed to take five different faces with her, two of them girls, the other three boys. She disguised into a ginger-haired girl with light green eyes and many freckles and she thought that maybe she had chosen the wrong face. Being a girl as pretty as the one who had died to lend her face to No One was risky, especially when moving alone. All kinds of rapers would surely want to take advantage of such beauty. But Arya was not actually that girl. She could kill any raper before he even got the chance to blink.

As soon as she became Ella, a sweet girl looking for a safe place to settle, she immidiately felt safer. There was such familiarity in the way she transformed into all these people she never got to know, but she never really lost herself. Her purpose remained the same, and as for her name, she would never forget it.

Several hours had passed until she could finally find something to eat. The weather was chilly, but it was nothing compared to the cold wind of Winterfell. It was already becoming dark and she knew that she would have to find somewhere to sleep. From what she could remember there was an inn not far away from where she was, so once she was done chewing on her rabbit she started riding her horse again.

The inn was warm enough, so as soon as she got inside she rid herself of her coat. She paid the innkeeper and headed to her room. The moment she was about to enter her chambers, however, she heard a familiar feminine voice and her eyes automatically drove to the direction of the woman.

Rage blinded her vision at the sight of long dark red hair and skin white as snow. At that moment she was unable to understand what it was that men found so attractive about this woman. Arya found her to be sickening. That's because you're a girl, Anguy'swords rang in her ears, and maybe, back then, he was right. But now was different. Now she knew what this woman had done. She knew what was hiding behind that beautiful face of hers. She supposedly represented God, but the only God Arya knew was Death, therefore she could understand why the Red Woman had pledged allegiance to Him.

Jon

"Jon, you need to stop worrying so much, we've made the right decision. What else could we possibly do? We need a faithful person to head to King's Landing if we are to discover if Jaime's intentions are pure." Sansa's words worked soothingly, but his doubts still remained.

"I can't help but feel that we're risking too much. Sending Brienne there may as well be a death sentence for her. Assuming Jaime Lannister is telling the truth, if Cersei finds out the reason she's there we will lose a great opportunity."

"She won't find out. And even if she does, we will go on with what we have. Jon, please." At that Sansa took his hand in hers, sqeezing reassuringly. "You have to trust me and you have to trust Brienne."

Jon's gaze went from their hands to his sister's eyes and he took a long sigh before answering.

"I'm sorry for constantly doubting you. But you have to understand that these people trust me with their lives. One reckless decision and everything is lost. If I do something, I have to believe in it, heart and soul."

"Do you not believe in the decision we made now?" Sansa asked, worry in her eyes.

Jon thought about Brienne's recent revelations. Sir Jaime killed the Mad King because his last command was to kill his own father, along with several other innocents.

When Jon had listened to her for the first time, his first instinct was to defend his father. Was she doubting Eddard Stark's honor? Was she saying that what he had witnessed was not true?

Your Lord father entered the room only after the murder. Sir Jaime never cared to reveal the truth, for he thought no one would believe him. But he did share it with me at a moment of weakness. He was at a terrible state, probably thought he would die, so I can only persume he needed someone to know the truth before he left.

Jon had managed to think everything through unbiased, and when he did, he came to the conclusion that if all that was a lie, Jaime would have tried to spread it all around and somewhat mend his broken image. But he hadn't.

"I do." he simply said, receiving a small smile from Sansa's lips. As soon as she opened her mouth to speak, there was a knock on the door.

"I was just informed that the boy, Gendry just arrived. He's at the gates." Sir Davos said as he entered the room.

"Open the gates, then."

Gendry

Winterfell stood before him, great and imposing. To his surprise, it didn't actually look much different than what he had imagined. He waited for several moments, and he truly wanted to punch the guard who was controlling the gates. He looked at him as if he was somekind of castoff who had no place in the castle. Or maybe Gendry was just too irritable after days of exhaustion and hunger.

Finally somebody gave the sign, and the gates opened slowly. As soon as he stepped foot inside, he was more than relieved to be welcome by a familiar face.

"Welcome to the North, lad." Sir Davos said, giving him a quick peck on the shoulder. "I'm happy to see you are safe"

Forsome reason Davos's words sounded funny to his ears, so he chuckledbefore answering.

"Who would've thought I'd make it out of that boat alive"

"Which reminds me, I should send someone to teach you boy how to swim." Sir Davos answered, laughing. "Come, there are a bunch of people you have to meet. We better not make them wait"

"Right"

While Sir Davos led the way, Gendry grabbed the chance to admire the wealth around him. Every corner of the castle seemed of great value, and it was on such rare occasions that a bastard smith got to be surrounded by something like that. The last time was one he would rather forget; he was chained at a bed with some black little creatures like warms sucking blood out of his body.

"Welcome to our home, sir..." a beautiful red-haired girl greeted him as soon as he entered a room with a big oval table, which he guessed was the meeting room.

"It's just Gendry" he replied, quickly adding a single "m'lady".

"From what I hear, you're not just Gendry. You have a great house to follow you"

It wasn't like he didn't expect someone to mention that. However tempting the thought of being dealt with as something more than a bastard was, Gendry knew who he was. He had accepted it a while back.

"I was born just Gendry. I've been Gendry Waters the blacksmith my entire life. I don't see how a great name can change that."

"I understand, but we'll have to discuss all that later. First, let mei ntroduce myself. My name is Sansa of house Stark, though you can call me as you like."

Of course it was her. Arya's sister. She recognized her the moment the door opened, but now he made sure. His friend wasn't exaggerating when describing her sister's beauty, that he had to admit. Although, sometimes, during her discriptions, Arya had mentioned how Sansa was getting on her nerves and how all she wanted to do with her life was to marry that yellow-haired little satan and birth his disgusting children.

At the memory of that moment Gendry wanted to smile, but he got serious a bit too quickly when he was reminded of Arya's next words; I bet she doesn't feel the same way about her King now that she saw him kill our own father. To this day, he was still surprised at how a girl this young had managed not to cry while saying something like that. Instead, it was wild fury that burnt inside her eyes.

Not that he would mention any of that to Lady Sansa.

"I'm honored to meet you, m'lady." was all he could muster. Being around lords and ladies was not his speciality, after all. Well, except for one particular m'lady.

The door opened once again then, revealing a dark figure.

"I apologize for being late, there were some things I needed to settle. I assume you are Gendry." he said, looking him directly in the eye, leaving him no doubt as to who he was. The resemblance with Arya was undeniable, unlike on Sansa's case.

"Tha'is me, milord. Thank you for accepting me into your castle."

"You have nothing to thank me for. Sir Davos, please show our visitor to his room. I bet he could use a hot bath, a good meal and some proper sleep."

"I appreciate all you're doing, milord."

"Just get some rest and we will talk on the morrow. We have plenty to say." was all Jon Snow said before signaling to Sir Davos to lead Gendry to his room.

"Oh, and, one more thing." Jon added, grabbing Gendry's attention once again. "You don't have to call me milord all the time. I may be King in the North now, but I'm also a bastard like you."

And with that, Jon turned his back on him while Davos took him out of the room.

Arya

The next morning found her well rested and energetic. The unexpected events of the previous night had helped her relax instead of putting her on edge. As soon as she had laid eyes on the Red Woman, she knew what she had to do.

She put the face of Ella on once again and she stormed out of the room. As expected, Melisandre had already arisen. Arya had eaves dropped on the woman's conversation with the Innkeeper the night before, and once she heard the woman was planning to spend two nights in a row there, she decided to join her. Delaying her mission for a day was nothing compared to the satisfaction she would get that night.

As always, Arya was quiet as a shadow. She made sure none of her actions raised suspicions, while activating each of her senses all at once. It was almost as if she moved along with the Red Woman's movements. And then she focused on the two soldiers escorting her. It wasn't hard to listen to their teasing voices as they discussed spending the night in the brothel close to the Inn, and it was even easier to notice one of them putting a set of keys inside his pocket.

Once she was done collecting information she focused on her breakfast. However, the presence of the witch was enough to trigger memories she thought she had put to rest; the last being a wagon carrying her long lost friend, leading its way away from her and towards Gendry's death.

By nightfall all visitors had disappeared from view. The Red Priestess had already sought peace in her chambers and Arya wondered what kind of witchcraft she was performing.

She started packing the few belongings she had and found her way to the door.

"Have a nice ride, little lady" the Innkeeper said, receiving a shy smile and a quiet "thank you" from Ella's mouth.

Checking that the view outside was clear, she rid herself of Ella's face, replacing it with that of a brown eyed boy with dark hair, seemingly close to her age. She decided no name other than Arry was more fitting to the current situation.

Arya hadn't picked the faces of such young people by chance. Young, innocent boys or girls always looked too fragile to raise any suspicions. Everyone thought they had the upper hand in front of such minor threats, and that's when Arya always found their weakness.

She spotted Melisandre's men the minute she walked into the brothel. On one's knees sat a half naked prostitute, her ability to seduce her men more than apparent, even when watching her from a distance. The other guy was seated next to the first one, wine pouring down his throat, his expression betraying he was already drunk. Perfect. These two morrons made for the easiest targets.

Slipping into her character's attitude easily, she approached the two men with decisive steps.

"Such lasses are to be enjoyed by deserving men. Look at the poor thing. She's bored. Bet she felt your prick to have such unimpressed look on'er face." the boy named Arry said, tone arrogant and aggressive.

As predicted, the man's instant reaction was to burst out laughing.

"Seth, look at this fella. Thinks he's a master fucker. Maybe if we fuck him he'll change his mind, what do you think?"

Before his friend got a chance to speak, Arry spoke first.

"Let's see who's gonna be the one to fuck who."

Now she could see the soldier's rage taking amusement's place.

"Look, kid, I'm in no mood to drag your dead body onto the river for the fish to eat, but you seem to wish for it. You better back off before things get ugly. Go play with yo' toys instead."

"I'd rather play with the bitch you're holding" she insisted, and that was when the man got up abruptly, throwing the girl down, a shriek escaping her mouth. Seth, the other soldier came into view then, his words slurred as he tried to help his friend.

"Why d-don't weee go outside to ssettle this, boy? Let's go, Dan. We'll end this twig before he gets a chance to ssspit"

"I'd love to see you try" Arya said before Dan lifted her up and carried her out of the brothel.

Everything after that happened too fast. Dan dropped her to the ground, and she landed on her ass. As they both stood above her, she could literally sense the feeling of victory that had already taken over their whole body. Idiots.

That was her moment. With a swift move she got back on her feet and grabbed Needle. There was a brief moment of surprise as they both stared at Arry, but it passed quickly. Dan was the one who made his first move, and she was silently grateful to how convenient the drunken state of Seth had proved. His moves were too slow, too clumsy. He was useless.

That helped her focus her attention solely on Dan. Their swords echoed in the silence of the night, and she had to admit, he was quite good. But she was better. She managed to avoid each one of his strikes, and she was confident that she would leave this place without a single scratch. Finally, she managed to throw his sword down with her own, leaving him unarmed. Her reflexes were quick enough to catch Seth try to grab the sword from the ground, but as soon as he reached his hand down, she hit him hard on the head with Needle's handle, leaving him unconscious.

The shock on Dan's face was so obvious and outraging that for a second she was tempted to kill him. Instead, she hit him the way she had hit Seth, hard enough to make him collapse, but not too much to drop him dead.

Dropping to her knees, she searched the two men's pockets to discover two keys; one for their room, and one for hers.

She returned to the inn after taking Dan's coat to cover her own. She had seen the innkeeper's eyes moving around, so Arya was sure she would notice Arry's clothes were the same as Ella's. She gave her the gold she had stolen from the soldiers, and once again headed to the corridor. Only now, she wouldn't go into her room.

She opened the door quietly to find Melisandre standing there, wide awake.

Her eyes widened for a second, but there was nothing else that betrayed her emotions.

"Who are you?" she asked simply, her gaze scrutinizing Arry from head to toe.

Arya took a few steps closer before she replied.

"What should concern you at the moment is not who I am, but what your own fate is."

"Only Lord knows my fate." was all she said. Too predictable.

"Well then, who knows. Maybe I'm the Lord himself, for right now, I know exactly what is going to happen to you." Arya was only a few inches away from the woman now. "You are going to die", she continued, "you are going to receive a deadly strike right there" she extended her arm, her finger pointing right where the Red Woman's heart was, "and only seconds later, you will stop breathing."

Even though Arya could see the fear creeping up the woman's eyes, there was also this certainty that could drive one mad.

"Who sent you?" were her next words. And then she did the unthinkable. She pulled her dress down, revealing her pale white naked body.

"I'm sure a boy like you..." she grabbed Arya's hand and placed it on her own breast, "would rather do much better things other than kill for the sake of somebody else"

"Noone needed to sent me. I came by myself." appaled, she took her hand away from that witch's tits. "Is this how you killed him too, I wonder? By seducing him first? By making him believe you were his?"she was losing her temper now, but she couldn't care less. This would end in a matter of seconds, anyway.

"I'm not sure I understand who you're talking about. But listen, boy. If I've ever hurt a beloved one of yours, you should seek comfort knowing it was the Lord's wish. Everything he asks is for a good reason. The sacrifice of the person you now want to avenge was a gift from the Gods to humanity" she spoke each word with such conviction, as if she believed in it with every ounce of her body. Arya, on the other hand, felt the urge to throw up. She spoke of Gendry as if he'd been nothing more than a filthy rat.

Suddently she couldn't take anymore of this nonsense. The moment she released Needle, she thought of her list. She thought of how the woman she was about to kill had been a part of that list once, but Arya had deleted her name soon after, thinking it was childish to want to kill someone just because she missed her friend.

She had added her to the list for the wrong reason.

When her sword touched her enemy's chest, she thought it was about time to let her know why she was killing her.

"I was actually hoping you would keep your promise, you know. We'll meet again, you had said. You had even predicted the deaths I'd cause. Bet you hadn't forseen yours in those deaths." slowly, she started sinking Needle into soft skin.

Realisation hit Melisandre, but it was too late now. Arya's favourite weapon would soon reach her cold heart.

"It cannot be" she muttered between cries of pain, but Arya couldn't hear her. She was at a place far away from that awful room.

These men are brothers, they're family. I never had a family.

All her bastard friend had ever wanted was to fit in. All he had asked for was a family.

As she finally drove Needle into the woman's heart, that was all she could think about. She had added Melisandre back to her list as soon as she saw her face again, not because of the pain her actions had caused her. Not because it hurt losing yet another person she had come to care about. She wasn't killing her because she had taken her friend away from her. She was killing her because she had taken the chance from Gendry to find his place in the world.

-End of chapter 2-


	3. War Makes Monsters

**Arya**

She waited until Melisandre left her last breath, her body limp and lifeless. But nothing could have prepared her for what came next. On a blink's notice, the beautiful dead body that lay still on the ground was replaced by that of a woman too old to still be alive. Hair white as snow, skin pale and wrinkled that resembled a ghost's shell. Arya had seen and experienced many things during her stay in the Free Lands but this was new to her, she was dumbfounded. What kind of sick magic did that woman possess? Whatever it was, Arya was more than satisfied to have killed it along with her.

She left the Inn and started riding her horse again. After all this time, her total lack of guilt after taking somebody's life didn't surprise her anymore. It had become a part of herself and she enjoyed it more and more each time. She didn't have to comfort herself by being reminded that the people she killed were not innocent.

Suddenly the rest of her journey to King's Landing felt shorter. She knew she would make it without any complications. Once she was there, she would unburden herself of two more names;

Cersei

The Mountain

Then she would be free. Free to be Arya Stark again. Free to mourn without her need for revenge exceeding the pain of her loss. Free to live for the sake of living instead of killing.

Or she would die. She would be killed by Jaime Lannister before she even got the chance to make his face her own. Or later, by the Mountain. Or better yet, by the queen herself. Arya found that last one to be the most humiliating out of all the options.

Either way this journey would be a turning point in her life. So she would do her best to remain alive at the end of it.

 **Gendry**

He woke up feeling more refreshed than ever. He hadn't had such a good night's sleep in an awfully long time; the featherbed had helped, too. Once he was reminded of the day he would have to face, however, he briefly wished he was back to his forge.

The Lord of Winterfell had asked for his presence at the morning council, and he did have an incling as to why. As soon as he entered the room he could feel all the questioning stares directed at him. With one quick look he managed to notice several emotions playing in their eyes, such as curiosity, suspiciousness, and once again, something he had received the previous night by one of the guards. That look that plainly stated _you don't belong here._ Gendry tried to ignore it.

"Welcome, everybody. Thank you for joining me in this really important meeting. As most of you probably know already, word spreading, we accepted a special visitor into our home last night. Gendry..." Jon said, directing at him, "I hope you had the time to relax properly."

"I did, milord. Thank you." Gendry replied, keeping it short.

"We shall begin, then. Gendry, you spent some time in King's Landing. Considering the enemy is there, perhaps you could fill us in on the situation there. We've sent Brienne of Tarth to these lands in terms of a mission, so we would like to know what she's in for. " Jon said, and Gendry was relieved to see that the first topic they would discuss was not that of his identity.

"Well, there is not much to say, really. Place's a mess. Most people live in constant fear for their own lives. Crowds are being executed for even existing. Just like me, many others abandon their homes in hopes of finding somewhere better to live. They don't want to risk crossing the queen. Not that they're all as lucky as I am."

"You're not lucky." Lady Sansa was quick to say then, speaking for the first time. "You have every right to be here. I think it's time to share your identity with the rest of the counsil."

Gendry didn't feel grateful for the lady's presence at that particular moment. But he couldn't blame her either. This moment was bound to come sooner or later.

He took a long sigh and started talking.

"My name is Gendry Waters. As my last name indicates, I'm a bastard, born and raised as blacksmith in Flea Bottom. I never knew my mother, and my father..." he paused then, and instinctively looked at Davos for support. A nod from the man was enough to make him continue; "As I was told, I'm the bastard son of King Robert Baratheon." That was the first time Gendry spoke those words out loud and his own feelings at that moment surprised him. Knowing how much of a failure his father had been as a king, he was glad that he hadn't inherited Robert's character, apart from his looks. But there was also this weird sense of pride rising within him, pride that he was not ready to welcome.

The silence that followed was deafening. Half of the people in the room had fixed their eyes solely on him, while the rest shared looks of shock with one another. And then whispers started raising, getting louder and louder by the second.

 _He's the only Baratheon left alive_

 _Does he mean to claim the Iron Throne?_

 _If he's anything like his cunt of a father..._

 _A bastard on the Iron Throne_

"I understand this new revelation raises questions and complications. But you should all respect that this man here has suddenly been given a name he never asked for, he finds himself in a world he knows nothing about. It's too soon. Let him breathe."Jon said, raising his voice in order to stop all the rest from making assumptions and asking questions _._

"If this boy decides to claim the Iron Throne, I think we should all know. His wish for power might turn him against us. Who knows if he'll even make an alliance with the queen herself to achieve his purpose." a man said then, causing everyone to raise their voices in agreement.

"Cersei would kill him before he even got the chance to speak to her. She's already given orders for all the bastards of Robert to be eliminated, she wouldn't hesitate to do it again. He is a threat to her, even more so than we are. For that we must stand together." Davos said, making a fair point.

Gendry couldn't take one more minute of everything that was taking place because of him so he decided to make his intentions clear.

"I've never been treated as a lord. It is a charming idea, and a comfortable one, too. Having a name of a great house is an honor and yes, I might use it to better my life and my chances. But not to claim the Iron Throne. I don't want to rule anyone and I don't want anyone to serve me, for I've served men my entire life and I know what it feels like. You have nothing to fear from me." as soon as he was done talking he realised how true all he had said was, and he felt relieved. That was his truth and he was glad to be sharing it with these people. He caught a glimpse of Jon Snow then, and he was met by an odd expression of satisfaction. The smile he saw in his face was a smile of pride, which made no sense, considering they had only just met the night before.

"I think you've heard all that you needed to know, men. Now, if you'll exscuse me, I would like to have a moment alone with my sister and Sir Gendry." Jon said and with that, everyone was dismissed, though not too eagerly.

"I would like to thank you for defending me, milord." Gendry said, utterly grateful for Jon's understanding.

"There's no need to. I know what it feels like to be put in a position you've not prepared yourself for."

"But you've earned your place here. You're a knight and you're a leader. I'm no more than a blacksmith"

"Who could very well become a knight, provided he wanted to" Sansa said then, surprising him. He was reminded of the former hand of the King then, his words while leaving Tobho Mott's forge. _If the day ever comes when that boy would rather wield a sword than forge one, send him to me_

"Your lord Father had made a similar proposition once, years back. Right before he was killed" he said, finding it fitting how both times anyone had ever expressed any interest in him becoming a knight, it had been done by a Stark.

"My father?" Sansa asked at once, her expression changing immidiately at the memory of the father she had lost.

"What did our father want with you?" Jon asked, seemingly affected by the mention of his father's name as well.

"For many years I asked myself that, until the Red Priestess appeared and told me about my father. I take it now that he knew."

"Of course he did" was all Sansa said, a sad smile forming on her lips. "What did he want to know?"

"About my mother and father. Couldn't have guessed why." this conversation reminded Gendry of that day when Arya had revealed her true identity to him. They had talked about Ned Stark too that day, and his friend had wanted to know everything about his meeting with her father. Forgetting Jon and Sansa's presence for a moment, he smiled to himself.

"What's so funny?" Jon asked, bringing him back to reality.

"Nothing, it's just that.. You are not the first Starks I've had this conversation with." he replied, deciding he should tell them about Arya.

"What do you mean?" Jon and Sansa asked simultaneously, both alarmed as they thought of the possibilities. They looked at each other in a hopeful way.

"I had the luck of meeting your younger sister on the road. She was disguised as a boy when I first met her, little Arry. She fooled everyone but me, so she was forced to tell me the truth. That was when we talked about your father as well."

He watched as both siblings exhaled in disbelief, the sparks of hope lighting up their faces.

"You know Arya!" was all Jon could muster.

"Aye, I do. We had a long journey together. She often spoke of you two as well."

"I hope she had positive things to say" Jon said, his smile at hearing about his sister never leaving his face. Before Gendry had the time to answer, Sansa spoke.

"About you, she sure did." she said bitterly, but she laughed right after.

"Gendry, please, tell us about her. Anything you know, anything that could prove useful. How was she when you saw her?" Jon asked then, agony in his voice.

"Well, she was certainly stubborn and as I often said, a pain in the arse" Gendry started, regretting his words immidiately when we was reminded who he was speaking to.

"I'm sorry, milord, milady, I shouldn't have..."

"No, sir Gendry, please, do tell us. So far you're describing the Arya we know and love." Sansa interrupted him, causing a chuckle to escape Gendry's mouth.

"She was fine when I last saw her. Though rage burnt inside of her, she was strong. Ruthless, that one." he was perfectly aware of how obvious the admiration is his voice was.

"Where did you see her last?" Jon said, worry in his tone.

"The Riverlands. That's where we met The Red Woman. We parted there and I haven't seen her since." he said, unable to contain the disappointment in his voice.

"I see. Well, we have plenty of time to discuss about all that. I can't wait for you to tell me about the adventures you've had with my little sister."

"Anytime" he said, a smile on his face. He saw Jon turn around to leave then, but he stopped him midway.

"Lord Snow... I was wondering, since I'm staying here, when will I start forging?" he had been meaning to ask this question for hours now. He couldn't bear feeling useless, he needed to get up to work as soon as possible.

"Whenever you wish. You can start tomorrow, if that pleases you."

"Can I start today?" he asked expectantly. The look on Jon's face was hard to read, but something told him that he quite liked Gendry's approach.

"Unless you want to rest some more after your long journey, today would be fine by me. I'll send someone show you the way to the forge"

"Thank you." was Gendry's answer before he walked out of the room and got ready for the one thing he knew how to do best.

 **Arya**

The next few days passed like flowing water. As she had predicted, her journey to King's Landing had been quiet. Nothing unpredictable to slow her down. Just her, her horse and her faces.

On the fourth day she finally arrived at King's Landing. She didn't allow her last memories from that place to resurface. She didn't allow them to make her weak. The past didn't matter. What mattered was the way to avenge it.

She knew better than to simply enter the castle and attempt to kill the queen. This would be no piece of cake for her like it had been with the Freys. Now she would have to wait. Wait, observe and be methodical. She had changed her face into that of yet another sweet, innocent looking girl, this time uglier than the first one. She didn't want to take any risks this time.

The first day she had her eyes fixed on the girl carrying provisions to the castle, but she realised soon enough that there was no way to take her place unless she hurt her. Arya didn't want any more innocents to get hurt for Cersei's sins, especially by her own hand. She also realised that the guards would notice the difference between the two girls. Arya could've easily found a convincing enough excuse to escape them, but she didn't want to risk it.

The second day she attempted to get inside empty handed. She was an orphan girl, she had said to the guards. She hadn't eaten in days and no one would take her to their service for no one could afford her anymore. _Please allow me to speak to our rightful queen. Perhaps her kindness will allow me a place in the kitchens. I can make pies! Please let me in_ she had begged, though she knew from the start her efforts were vain. She didn't take Cersei for a stupid woman. No one was allowed into the palace unless they held the sign of a sigil. She wondered then what the queen's reaction would have been if she had appeared with her own face, proudly bearing the Stark's sigil.

The third day she cursed herself for not thinking about this earlier. There was a spot behind the castle, right by the waters of Blackwater Bay. It looked like a small theater and the only protection it had were stones Arya could easily climb. She remembered having seen Jaime Lannister amongst others going there, mostly practicing his sword skills.

Without thinking about it for much longer, Arya made her way to the sides of the city where the ocean was met by stones. Before making sure no one was paying attention to her, she jumped, her feet meeting the rocks. She walked as carefully as she could, climbing from one rocky surface to the other, when at some point she was met by only water. Silently thanking her father for accepting to teach her how to swim, she threw herself into the cold water and started swimming until she stepped her feet on the land once more. From that exact spot, she could finally see the place she was looking for, but she was certain no one could see her from there. She wasn't lucky enough to find Jaime there, but she was patient. She would wait as long as she had to.

At night, she decided to stay there. It was a safe spot and the chances of catching the Kingslayer were better if she was there early in the morning when she would awake. She had water and some food with her, so for now her only enemy was time.

In the morning the first rays of sunlight woke her up. Her whole body was sore from lying on the rocks but she was sure when the time came to take action, all pain would be forgotten. She drank, ate and once again waited. If he didn't appear by nightfall, she decided, she would have to sneak her way inside, though she didn't wish for it. She prefered this place if she were to fight him. It was quiet and isolated, therefore unless someone made their way to King's Landing on a boat, no one would see them. For some reason, Arya doubted anyone would go there willingly any time soon. From what she had witnessed during the past three days, the place was quite a mess.

Two or three hours seemed to have passed before the Kingslayer finally made his appearance. Arya watched as he practiced, and she was surprised to see his movements were quite clumsy for a man like him. Then she noticed something she hadn't before; He was using his left hand, and as she focused on his right hand she could see, even from a distance, that the fingers there made no movement. When a spark of sunlight illuminated on that same hand, she knew that it was not his own. The odds were more in her favor than she would have dared to imagine. With her confidence boosting and the adrenaline rising, she thought it was about time to make her move.

 **Jon**

"Do you think Brienne will have made it to King's Landing by now?" Sansa asked during one of their usual private meetings.

"She must have. Not knowing anything of what might take place over there can drive me mad." Jon replied, his worry about Jaime's intentions rising more and more each day.

"You know we can't risk Brienne sending a raven. If it were to fall on the wrong hands, then..."

"Yes, I know. It's just that, lately there's constantly something new. Jaime Lannister's letter, Gendry..." his tone was exasperated.

"About Gendry, I wanted to ask you... Do you trust him?"

Jon thought about it for a second. In the few days the boy had been in Winterfell, he had already proved his worth as a smith. His work was exceptional, one of the best Jon had ever seen. As for his character, he had to admit that he quite liked him.

"I can't be certain yet, but my answer is leaning towards yes. I take him for an honest lad. His work is great and he doesn't mind speaking his mind and standing up for who he is. I realised that the first day at the counsil."

Sansa nodded in agreement before speaking. "He really does stick to what he believes. No wonder our little sister found pleasure in his company. She's like that too. Bet he challenged her and that drove her mad" She paused then and Jon could understand that she was overwhelmed by her emotions at the mention of Arya's name, just like he was. "Do you think she's alright?" she asked then, and he could see her eyes shining from tears that were about to drop.

"Our sister's a fighter. Always has been. Even Gendry saw that in her. She can take care of herself." Jon said, his words of optimism comforting them both.

"You're right. You know, my sister and I may have had our disagreements but the truth is that now, when I look back at those times, I wish I had been a bit more like her. I would have been able to avoid a lot of situations that way. But you see, I was so blinded by lords and their promises that I couldn't see beyond my own nose." she said, her tone bitter.

"Don'talk like that about yourself." Jon said, but she cut him short.

"What do you want me to say, Jon? I'm only being honest. You of all people know what I was like. I never really treated you with the respect you deserved. I refused to see the man behind the bastard the same way I had refused to see the monster behind the King when it came to Joffrey." her words hid more pain than what she would let on and even though she was right, Jon couldn't bear seeing her like this.

"What matters now is that you came out of all that stronger. Maybe there is a reason everything happened, after all. You've grown and I'm proud of the woman you have become."

"I'm certainly not the same girl I was when I left King's Landing. I've changed." she admitted and the emptiness in her eyes as she spoke was the ultimate proof of how everything had affected her.

"I have changed too. We all have. War changes us." Jon said and deep inside he hoped those changes were for the better.

 **Arya**

"If you want your practice to count at all, maybe you should practice with someone else instead of stabbing the air."

Jaime jumped and turned around in shock at the sound of her voice.

"How in the seven hells did you get down here?" he asked.

"Does it matter?" was Arya's reply as she took a few more steps closer.

"Of course it matters, what..." he looked as if he was giving up and he took a long sigh before he continued. "Ugh, why are you even here, anyway?"

"I want to fight you." she said simply and she received that one look of understatement that she had seen in several faces before she proved them all wrong.

"Look, girl, I don't have any time for games. I came here to practice. So, if you could simply leave me alone, it would be much appreciated." His words made Arya decide that hiding was pointless. He wouldn't take her seriously unless he knew who he was up against.

"I'm sure you'll change your mind soon" she said and then just like that, she took the mask off her face and revealed herself to him.

The expression on his face was priceless. She could literally see his jaw drop as the realisation of who she was slowly sank in.

"How is it possible! Arya Stark." He said finally, the shock never leaving his face.

"Yes, yes. Now that the introductions are out of the way, tell me. Are you happy now that your beloved sister is destroying everyone's lives? But of course, what am I asking, you're the one counseling her. You two are equally disgusting." she was literally spitting the words out.

"Arya, I can understand your anger and your grief, but..." he started, but she had no intention of letting him say anything more.

"You can understand my grief? Well, that's funny. Could you understand it back when my father got executed as well? Tell me, really, what was your reaction after that? Did you make jokes about the great Ned Stark's head being chopped off his body? How happy were you that he was finally out of the way?" the rage was driving her insane, it blinded her.

"I had nothing to do with..."Jaime started saying, desperately looking for an excuse, but instead of calming her down, he managed to make her even more furious.

"Of course you didn't. You had nothing to do with anything, is that right? You're innocent, you're misunderstood. Well, I'm happy to tell you all of that ends today." she grabbed Needle, provoking him to raised his sword as well.

"Arya, please, come to your senses. You don't want to fight me. You will lose." he said with absoute certainty, and Arya chuckled sarcastically.

"Try me" she said and attacked him, and he was quick enough to escape her blow. Arya tried hitting him again and again, at which he always responded with defense.

"It's no fun if you don't fight back" she screamed breathlessly between her efforts to strike him.

"What will you earn if you kill me, anyway?" he asked as he insisted on avoiding to attack her.

"Apart from justice? You'll make a great weapon that will help me kill your sister as well." she revealed and at once she saw his expression change. She had found a soft spot now, she was certain. He avoided the next two blows, and by the time the third one arrived, he had raised his sword as well, making an echoing sound as it clang with Needle.

-End of Chapter 3-


	4. Justice Can Wait

Brienne

By the time she finally reached King's Landing, it was already noon. She had been preparing herself for that moment since the day Lord Snow had commanded her to leave. She had to be exceptionally careful now that she was there, though she knew it was no easy task, especially for a woman of her stature. It took nothing for curious eyes to turn their attention at her, though it weren't the common folks she was afraid of.

She wandered around long enough, Podrick by her side. He was silent beside her; he had no other choice. The last thing she needed when they arrived was Podrick's endless rumbling, so she had kindly commanded him to shut up. She finally spotted him through the crowd, and, as she had suspected, he was drinking around the company of three lasses.

"Sir Bronn." she said as soon as she was close enough to be heard. His eyes went from the pretty brunnette beside him to Brienne, his surprise evident.

"Lady Brienne. You're the last person I expected to see here." he said, approaching her. "Podrick! Lad, I'm so happy to see you again!" he said as soon as he saw the boy beside her. "Girls, I'm sure you'll be even happier than I am when you see him too!" was the next thing he said, winking at Podrick.

Brienne's confusion took over for a moment, until she saw Podrick's tomato-red face and soon realised what Bronn was referring to. Before her travelling companion got the chance to speak, she cut him off.

"Unfortunately we don't have any time for that." she said, giving him a warning look.

"Right, right. So what are you here for?" Bronn finally asked.

"It's urgent that I speak to Sir Jaime. Do you happen to know where he is?"

"Aye, Sir Jaime. Of course, that's why you're here.." Brienne tried to ignore his comment as she patiently waited for an answer to her question.

"Around this time, he's usually practicing his sword skills. He's left with no other choice now that he only has one hand to hold the sword." Bronn replied, and Brienne felt her stomach tighten at the memory of that night when Locke drew his sword down and separated Jaime's hand from his arm. Even back then she had felt sympathy for him, though she couldn't deny that he deserved it. And later she had been so angry at him that she could've easily killed him herself, for the moment he was crippled he gave up, as if he had been the only man around the seven kingdoms who had ever lost something important.

"Where can I find him?" she asked.

Bronn smiled then, as if her question had reminded him of an inside joke, and he nodded as he said "follow me".

So she followed him, and all the way through she kept praying that everything in that letter was true. She was silently begging that he hadn't set them a trap. If he had, everything that was left for him inside her would break into millions of pieces. Maybe fate had it that way that she would even have to kill him at some point.

Let's hope it doesn't come to that, she thought.

Gendry

He felt his throat burn as the ale ran down his stomach. He hadn't been used to drinking so it only took him two shots to get light headed, but not drunk. Jon was sitting next to him, and beside him Sansa. She was the only one not drinking. "I only drink when I'm about to face a difficult situation", she had said, "but now I feel rather peaceful."

In the few days Gendry had spent in the North he had gotten to know quite much about both Jon and Sansa's personalities. He could see Jon's struggle as a King in the North and he could tell he was doing the best he could to keep his people safe, to be noble and just. He had often heard about the Starks' nobility, and now he was whitnessing it himself; it didn't matter to him that Jon was a bastard, how could it? Gendry could see that he was far better a King than all noble borns combined. The two of them were constantly discovering similarities to their characters, and there was a deeper understanding between them, the kind that only two bastards could develop.

As for Sansa, well, she was nothing like Arya. She was more careful with her words, more graceful with her movements. Arya was spontaneous and blunt. He could see why those two never really got along, Sansa was far too ladylike for Arya's tastes. But he soon realised that Sansa didn't resemble the petty, snobish daydreamer Arya had once described either. On the contrary, she seemed strong and she never looked down on him because he was a bastard. It wasn't hard for Gendry to guess that the things she had experienced had changed her.

Every now and then the two siblings asked Gendry to tell them stories about his journey with their sister. He was more than happy to share them, and they were so interested in what he had to say, as if that way, they were brought closer to Arya somehow, even though they knew those adventures had happened years ago.

"One time", he said, "while travelling with the botherhood, one of their members dared to challenge her. "I can use a sword" she said then, "my brothers taught me". The moment everyone around started laughing, I knew they had made a mistake. She got up and took Needle out, at which point I honestly thought we were all dead. She'd get us all killed." looking back at those moments now he laughed along with Jon and Sansa, but he couldn't help but admire her courage. Such a small girl yet she had more balls than him and Hot Pie at the time.

"I wonder if she still has Needle." Jon wondered then, a reminiscent look on his face.

"I doubt she would ever leave it. She loved that sword." Gendry said receiving a small smile from Jon's face.

Gendry thought of the possibilities then. He wondered how many men Arya had to kill in order to survive. How many times did she have to use that skinny sword of hers? However many they were, the only thing Gendry could do was hope she had won all her fights. He hoped Needle hadn't betrayed her yet.

Arya

She was moving fast, Needle in hand. As Arya had noticed earlier while watching him from a distance, Jaime's left hand was slightly clumsy and not as quick as hers, but he was still really good. She could tell that at the beginning of their fight, he was holding back, as if had expected this to be a lot easier. But he soon realised Arya was far better than he had imagined, so he held back no more.

She hadn't had a swordsfight like that in a long time, for she didn't nearly count the one with Melisandre's men as a proper fight. But this right here, she was enjoying it. It made her entire body burn and the sound of the two swords violently meeting each other was music to her ears. She could see Jaime was fully into it too, for his moves kept getting swifter and swifter as the time passed. Their only difference at this point was that he held no rage, whereas Arya was about to explode. Thinking of what came after this fight made her focus even more, she fought even stronger. She was certain that they both had Cersei's face in their minds during their dwell, though for entirely different reasons. He wanted to protect her, while she wanted to kill her.

Suddenly something made her lose balance, which made the Kingslayer grab the opportunity and drop her to the ground without, however, managing to disarm her. Jaime brought his sword dangerously close to her neck, but she used both hands to drive it away with Needle, concentrating every ounce of her strength to do so. In that moment Arya knew that had he been capable of using both his hands as well, she would lose.

"It's never too late to change your mind, you know. We can end this peacefully." he said between sharp breaths, his face red, teeth clenching.

Arya used this moment to push him away and finally get back on her feet.

"Arya, think about this. Please. I do not want to hurt you." he said and Arya wanted to laugh hysterically.

"Are you still so certain I'm the one who's going to get hurt?" she asked taking a few breaths, preparing for the next round.

"No. Not anymore." he admitted.

"Good." was all she said and then she threw herself at him. This time she could sense he had lost his concentration. It was almost as if he had given up, but Arya couldn't understand why. If it was some kind of strategy to trick her and make her loosen up so he could attack her, it clearly wasn't working, because Arya disarmed him within seconds.

"What in the seven hells are you doing?" she screamed, her tension visible. "If you think letting me win will be of any profit to you and your arrogant ass then..." she started, but he interrupted her soon enough.

"I'm not letting you win." he said simply, and he almost sounded tired.

"Then pick up your bloody sword!" she yelled, but he didn't move an inch. For several seconds they just stayed there looking at each other, while Arya eyed the sword that was fallen to the ground warrily. She couldn't understand what the meaning of all this was, but something didn't feel right. If there was a plan behind it, Arya failed to see it. She had the chance to kill him right there and then, but it would be a fight won with no dignity.

The sound of footsteps put her out of her frenzy with each one of her thoughts drifting away like ash. She couldn't stop the panick from taking over her, and she wished she had killed him and left as soon as she saw his sword drop to the ground, dignity be damned. Jaime had heard it too, because his eyes kept going back and forth; from Arya to the direction of the sound and back again. She cursed herself for not having realised this earlier.

She made no effort to put her mask on again; she was certain Jaime would tell on her so it would be pointless. Whoever was coming would soon see her real face.

As soon as the figure appeared, Arya was certain that the surprise she could see on her face was mirrored in her own as well. She had met this woman before, back when she was travelling with the Hound. They had fought, and she had beaten him.

"Brienne!" Jaime was the first to speak and his voice betrayed his bewilderment.

Brienne gathered herself and took a deep breath before she answered.

"Sir Jaime. Bronn told me I would find you here. He led me all the way, but I asked to have a moment alone with you." she said and Arya was sensing something unusual in the atmosphere. She couldn't tell if it was because of her own presence, but there was this awkwrdness in the air. "Of course", she continued, "I wasn't expecting you to have company." Brienne approached her then, and with a small bow she said "Lady Stark. It's an honor to meet you again. I'm glad to see you are still safe and sound."

Arya didn't speak, and that gave the woman the time to notice their surroundings and process what had been going down before she arrived. Finally, her eyes were glued to the spot where Jaime's sword had dropped, and then she looked directly at him.

"What happened here?" she asked and apart from her obvious confusion, Arya could also see anger rising within her blue eyes.

"Apparently, Lady Stark came to kill me. And as you can see, she's not quite failing at it." he said. Arya couldn't focus on their words anymore, and though she did hear them, all she wanted was an escape plan. For now, killing Jaime was an impossible task. Even if she tried to stab him right there and then, Brienne wouldn't let her. Plus, she was a witness and Arya couldn't afford anyone seeing her killing the hand of the Queen.

"It's the second time now that you've let a woman beat you, maybe you should start worrying" Brienne's words caught Arya's attention again and she turned to look at them both.

"To what do we owe the pleasure, lady Brienne?" Jaime replied sarcastically, ignoring her comment.

"That can wait for now." she said and slowly turned to look at Arya.

"Arya... Is what sir Jaime just said true? Did you come here deliberately to kill him?" she asked, worry in her gaze.

"Yes, it is true." Arya said without hesitation.

"Why? Why do you wish to kill this man?" there was something incomprehensible in Brienne's expression now, an emotion that came from somewhere deep inside her.

"That is non of your business, lady Brienne." she couldn't let anyone else in on the details of her plans, though the chances of Jaime not revealing them were too low.

"Arya, listen. I understand you must have gone through horrible things. But killing this man won't heal any of your wounds." she said, but instead of talking some sense into her, all Brienne's words managed to do was infuriate her even more.

"You're right. It won't heal any wounds. But it will bring justice." she responded firmly.

"Justice can wait! Come with me, my lady. I will take you North again. You'll finally go home."

"I am no lady and Winterfell is no longer my home. The Boltons have it." she said and her tone was as bitter as her heart at the thought of her house in the possession of somebody else.

Brienne remained silent for a moment, and she looked at Arya as if she was an imbecile.

"You haven't heard?" Jaime spoke then, making both women turn their gazes at him.

"Heard of what?" Arya asked, gradually losing her patience.

"Your brother, Jon Snow defeated the Boltons in the battle of the bastards. He rules Winterfell now." Jaime said but Arya didn't a believe a word out of his mouth. She had heard of all that before.

"Those are just stupid tales of some nan.. You can't fool me with that" she said, and she was surprised when Brienne grabbed her arm and started shaking her.

"Arya, I've just come from Winterfell. I was there. Your brother is King in the North and Sansa is there by his side too." Brienne tried to make her words come out as clear and loud as possible but Arya still couldn't believe it.

But what if it was possible? What if everything she had been hearing all the time while she was on the road was true and she knew nothing about it?

"No, this can't be true!" she said and suddenly she couldn't control the tears that welled up in her eyes.

"It is true. I swear to you, I'm telling you the truth, milady." Brienne insisted while Arya was desperately trying to keep her tears from dropping. As the realisation started to sink in she got loose of Brienne's grip and took a few steps back. She didn't know what to do anymore. In an instant, she forgot about everything. Jaime Lannister, Cersei, the Mountain. Everything that had to do with her plan disappeared from her mind and the only thing she could see was Jon and Sansa.

"Why are you here?" Jaime asked then, his voice muffled in her ears.

"I'm certain you know exactly why I'm here, sir Jaime" Arya didn't understand what was happening. She couldn't read their thoughts behind their expressions. Everything around her was blurred.

"Lady Stark. Since you're here, there's something you need to know. After that you can make your own judgements." Brienne started saying and Arya caught Jaime nodding at her words.

"Your lord brother received a letter from Jaime Lannister some days ago. In that letter, he said he was on his side. "Not every lion bends the knee to his lioness" he said. I'm here to make sure what he wrote is true."

Arya couldn't believe her ears but most importantly she couldn't believe this woman and even her own brother, Jon, were foolish enough to believe any of that.

"Bullshit!" she yelled, losing her temper.

"Αrya, I know it's hard, perhaps impossible to believe me, but I'm not lying. We cannot discuss this out here in the open but.. Everything I said in that note is true." he said.

"A minute ago you were ready to give your life to protect the queen you now claim to want to stand against. " she replied spitting the words out.

"Standing against the queen's crown doesn't equal killing her. I want her off the throne, but I don't want her dead. She is my sister, after all." Jaime's words sounded so ridiculous in her ears.

"I can't believe I didn't kill you when I had the chance!" she said and made a move to leave, but Brienne's voice stopped her once more.

"I can't believe you didn't talk to her about your intentions. She was about to kill you and you made no effort to talk to her!" she said, her expression fiery while looking at Jaime.

"You think she gave me the chance?" he said and Arya was shocked by the intimacy of their conversation. Why would this woman trust him so much? She should have known better.

"Arya, listen to me. Both your brother and sister decided to give this man a chance. They sent me here because they were in doubt. He may be lying, but if he's not, we have an important ally on our side." Brienne's face was full of hope.

"I'm not lying!" Jaime said then, but she could tell his words were not directed at her. His gaze was focused on Brienne completely.

"Do you actually trust him?" she asked searching for an answer in the woman's expression.

"It doesn't matter whether I trust him or not. Even if I do, you don't know me so you don't trust me. But you do trust your siblings. They had their reasons to want to have faith in this man's words. If you let me lead you to them, they can talk to you about it all by themselves."

Arya couldn't help but weigh in on Brienne's words. She remembered the first time she had met the woman. She was with the Hound, and she was willing to get herself killed in order to follow her mother's orders and keep her safe. She had pledged her allegience to her mother then, but where did her allegience lie now? If she was telling the truth, she was now serving her brother; thinking of Jon's face she allowed herself to go back in time, just for a little while, to be flooded by memories, but only by the good ones. Her relationship with Jon had always been special. Arya had always hated watching him being treated like rubbish just because he was a bastard, but she was too young and her voice would never be heard above her mom's or even her sister's. Thinking that after everything Jon had managed to become King in the North made Arya proud, it satisfied her beyond words.

"Lady Stark?" Brienne asked again, bringing her back to reality.

If there was a chance for her to meet her family again, she would have to take it. Justice could actually wait.

"I will follow you back to Winterfell." she said finally, followed by the feeling of relief washing over Brienne's entire face.

"But.." she continued "if I realise that this is a trap of any kind that you have planned with the Lannisters..." she drove her gaze back to Jaime then "I will kill you both." Years back, if Arya had spoken those same words out loud no one would believe her taken her small stature and her childish aggressiveness. But now she could tell both of them were wise enough to take her seriously, for they could see how deadly she had become.

"I would expect no less, lady Stark." Brienne said, a smile creeping up her mouth.

-End of chapter 4-


	5. Sideface

Brienne

"The last time we met in Riverrun you told me you can't betray your family. What could have possibly changed in such short period of time?" Brienne asked when Arya had left them alone.

"You of all people know that this change you're talking about didn't just happen between then and now." Jaime replied, fire burning in his eyes.

"Still, you were eager to stand for your own people. And now all of a sudden you want to turn against them. Forgive me if I'm being suspicious." she said and however much she wanted to trust him, it was far too easy to doubt his intentions.

"Cersei is.." he took a long sigh before he continued. "I feel likeI don't even recognise her anymore." was all he said.

"I'm afraid she's always been this way, you just chose to turn a blind eye. But now she has lost all her children, and she has power. Of course she's showing her true colors more evidently now and you would be blind if you didn't see it." she said and suddenly she was furious at him. She had thought him for a smart man but now she realised that he had always been his sister's puppy.

"You don't understand. She doesn't feel anymore. She's blinded. And yes, I will always love her and I will always be a Lannister but I fear that if I help her keep the throne all that will be left for her to rule is ashes." Brienne caught a glimpse of his fear in his eyes and she didn't doubt what he said would actually come true if Cersei were to keep the Iron Throne.

"I think we all dread that moment. However, is that what you wish me to deliver to the Starks? That Jaime Lannister is too shocked by the queen's cold heart and wishes to make amends? And they will gladly accept your help!"

Jaime shook his head and looked down, an exasperated look on his face.

"The Starks would gladly watch me burn alive and feed my ashes to Cersei. You did see Arya."

"Can you blame them? You crippled Ned Stark's son. Your houses have always provoked each other. And now here I am, sent by lord Snow to try and make a logical assumption out of the sudden appearance of the philanthropist in you. Can you even imagine the position I'm in?"

"No, you're right, I can't imagine. And I know the noble Starks have their reasons not to trust me."

"Then why would you even try and persuade them that you mean well?" she had wanted to ask this since the moment she saw him.

"Because I knew they'd send you here. I knew they wouldn't be so irrational as to immediately reject my proposal, they would want to investigate it further. And as it appears, I was right." Jaime's certainty was driving her mad.

"And why is my presence here a good thing?"

"Because I know you trust me." that was it. That was his reason. Simple as that, and it made Brienne want to punch him in the face.

"You Lannisters never lose your arrogance it seems. You think I trust you enough to set the war at risk."

"Οh no, perhaps not. But you trust me enough to come such a long way from Winterfell to King's Landing just to make sure that trust wasn't betrayed." the surprise in her expression must have betrayed her because he smiled.

"Ser Jaime.." she started, but he didn't let her finish.

"Leave the sers aside, it's me you're talking to. We shared the same bloody dog-shitted ground for months, we faught a god-damn bear together. Hell, we even shared the same filthy bathtub. I'm sure you remember what I'd told you back then in that tub. The Jaime that spoke to you then is the same one that is speaking to you now. So you better listen, and then you can make your assumptions." He had pierced his eyes into hers now, gaze clear and steady. She nodded, for she was more than willing to listen. She just hoped whatever he wanted to say would help her understand his motives.

"I'm not a good man. Damn anyone who will ever say I am. You know that. Everyone knows that. I've committed crimes, I have my own sins. Some I regret, some I'm proud of. But my one mistake that caused me to lose myself was to care about Cersei more than I cared about anything else. My love for her made me do things, say things, believe in things... I'm not saying that I would be a good man without her. But I would be better. I realised that during our time together traveling to King's Landing. When I told that Bolton son of a bitch that your father would trade your honor for saphires it was the first decent thing I had ever done for anyone outside the family." His expression when he finished talking was that of a man on the verge of breaking. He looked tired, older. If he didn't mean everything he had just said then, Brienne had to admit he was a good damn actor. But she didn't really think so.

They kept looking at each other for several seconds that lasted a lifetime. Reading each other, trying to make something out of the situation. The first to finally speak was Brienne.

"In your letter you said there are people who support you. How will I know these people are trustworthy?" she said, and she was quick enough to see the movement of his brows before he soon regained his composure. Her words implied she trusted him, but not the others.

"I can't risk bringing you in touch with them, but they're not many. There might be more, but I chose to only let a few honorable men in on my plan. You don't need to worry about them. I plan on having them escape with me in the next few days."

Brienne took a long sigh and thought of her next move. Suddenly she knew exactly what she wanted to do. She started unleashing her sword.

Jaime's reaction was instant "twice now you've tried to give it back. I already told you, it's yours."

"It will be mine officially only when it's returned into my hands with no innocent blood spilled by it along the way. You only need to remember its name. May your ride be safe."

With that, she turned her back on him and walked away. She was only a few meters away and she could swear she'd heard him whisper "Oathkeeper".

Arya

"Why would you care about a man like him?" she asked suddenly when silence had fallen like a curtain between them. They were on the road again, and Arya felt a mixture of things at the knowledge of heading back home; she was happy she would see her siblings again, but disappointed because she hadn't got to complete her task. Sometimes she yearned for the satisfaction she knew killing Cersei would give her.

"I'm not sure what you're referring to, my lady." was Brienne's answer which was followed by Arya's bitter chuckle.

"You know exactly what I'm referring to. I heard you two, you know." she blurted out, letting her know her and Jaime weren't completely alone during their conversation hours ago.

"I wouldn't actually expect you to leave us alone as easily as that, my lady, so I'm glad to hear I was right." Brienne replied and Arya could hear a hint of admiration in the woman's voice.

"He will betray you. He will betray us all. And when he does, I'll be ready for him. I will cut him into tiny pieces and feed him to his sister before killing her too." she thought about it for a while. Maybe the Lannisters deserved a death worse than the one she'd given Walder Frey, but the thought of Cersei's face once she realised she had eaten her beloved brother was worth it.

Brienne turned to look at her rather shocked, and it was like she was searching for something in Arya's face that could possibly lighten the mood. When she didn't find it, she simply said "I guess only time will tell."

Arya decided to speak of it no more, so the silence that followed this time was longer. Not that Arya minded, anyway. In the past few years, she had grown used to not only the absence of others, but of her own self as well.

Days turned into nights and nights kept getting colder and colder the closer they got to Winterfell. They stayed close to the fire, Brienne next to her and Podrick facing them both. In the days they had travelled together, the squire hadn't spoken much, but from the little she had observed him she could tell he was rather clumsy. She had never noticed it before, for there was no actual resemblence, but under the night sky with the flames lighting half of his face, he reminded her of Gendry. Of course, he lacked his piercing blue eyes and strong stature, so Arya couldn't understand why he had even reminded her of him. Maybe she missed the people she used to know more than she thought, after all.

Jon

"Your Grace.. Lady Brienne has just arrived."

Jon lifted his head from the letter he was holding and put the Dragon Queen's words aside for a while. Brienne had returned alive and well. Finally some good news. He only hoped she had brought equally good news with her as well.

"Tell her to come directly to me. There's a lot we need to discuss, and it can't wait."

"Your Grace... She's not alone." Davos said.

"Did she bring the Kingslayer with her? If so that means he's a hostage, in which case he was lying..." he started mumbling but Davos stopped him.

"It's not Jaime Lannister who's with her. It's a she, actually. And she claims to be your little sister."

Everything around him suddenly blurred. Every thought was washed away from his mind and he focused on the man's words. What if it wasn't her?

But Jon remembered then that lady Brienne had spoken of his sister to Sansa. The two had met. And if they had, she would know her face.

The next moment found Jon storming his way out of the room and down the castle. Suddenly the distance between his chambers and the gates seemed endless. The anticipation made his heart beat frantically inside his chest and his vision already blur with tears.

Once he was finally there, he hardly even noticed Brienne's tall figure beside her companion's skinny and short one. He took her face in and when she looked back he wanted to scream but all he could do was stand still and watch.

Arya was alive. And she was home.

Arya

Once their eyes locked, every other thought in her mind disappeared. It was just her and Jon. In that moment she relived their last encounter. "Stick 'em with the pointy end" he had said. If only he'd known how wholeheartedly she'd taken his advice.

She didn't take much time to process how much he had changed or how the scars on his face were proof that his journey was by no means easier than hers. The sudden storm of emotions flooded her completely, in away that nothing else had in many years. That was what drove her to run into his arms, and she was relieved to see that he instantly picked her up the way he had many years ago, as if nothing had changed; only, everything had.

"You're alive" he whispered in her hair, his voice full of emotion. She couldn't bring herself to answer. She just took in his smell and the familiarity of him. It didn't surprise her one bit that she had missed him more than anyone else. He'd always been her loving brother when he was everyone else's bastard. Years of torment and murders wouldn't change that.

Arya was the first to pull away so Jon set her on her feet again. They stared at each other for endless moments and that was the first time in ages a genuine smile of happiness formed in Arya's face, and it was mirrored in his as well.

"It shouldn't surprise me that you're standing here, alive and well. I always knew you were tough."

"You did. And I always knew you were more than a bastard. You're lord of Winterfell." she replied, her voice mimicking the pride she had heard in his own.

"Yeah, still don't know how that came to be." he said jokingly and they both laughed between tears of happiness. She was about to speak again, but another familiar voice stopped her.

"Arya"

Sansa appeared from behind Jon and Arya had never been happier to see her stupid sister than she was now. She could tell by the look on her face that Sansa felt the same way. This time Sansa was the one storming her way towards Arya. Their embrace was shorter but equally heartfelt. In Sansa' s case, Arya noticed the change in her immediately. Gone was the girl she remembered, and she didn't even need to speak to her to realise that. Her face had hardened, she seemed infinitely more mature.

"As unbelievable as it may sound, I missed you, little sister." she said and a single tear fell on her cheek.

"I did too." Arya answered and she watched as a small smile appeared on Sansa's lips. "But.. don't you for a second believe that I won't make your life miserable as soon as you start irritating me again."she warned her and they both laughed before hugging once more.

"Let's go inside. We are at Winterfell, after all. Staying outside for too long is not the wisest of choices." Jon said once he gathered himself again and with that they all headed into the castle.

Gendry

He had already started feeling the familiar ache that pierced his arm, a pain that went numb a few moments later. The sweet familiarity of his job created a strange feeling at the pit of his stomach, as if his time doing it was limited. Out of the forge he could see people running around in total frenzy, whispers and interjections accompanied by curious expressions. Normally he wouldn't pay them any attention and would continue with his job, but now something urged him to try and find out what was going on.

"Hey hey hey, you, wait up!" he shouted at a little boy that was running past the forge.

"I can't stop, I have to help prepare the feast" he replied between shugged breaths.

"Feast? What feast. We're at war!" Gendry couldn't believe his ears. Was that what Jon Snow did to prepare for battle? Organize feasts?

"The feast for the princess!" the boy said in a tone that implied Gendry should have known.

"what princess?" was all Gendry could master

"the last Stark girl. She returned!" and with that, the boy disappeared from his sight, leaving him utterly stunned. As the realisation of what he had said started sinking in, Gendry found he couldn't control his breathing anymore. For unless there was a younger Stark girl Gendry knew nothing of, the girl who had returned, the princess the feast was happening about, was non other than Arya. And,if this little shit was being true to his word, she was back home. She was here.

Without even thinking twice before leaving the forge exposed with all his work out in the open, he started walking towards the direction everyone else was running to. He could understand the haze now. The chaos that had been taking place around him was now happening inside his head. He walked, all the while trying to prepare his reaction at seeing her again. He also tried to imagine what her reaction would be like. Would she even remember him, he wondered.

Of course she remembers you. She may be royal and she might have been young when they parted, but Arya would never forget her friends. Right?

He shook his head and cursed himself. He couldn't justify his sudden insecurity. After all, she may not even be there for real. It wasn't rare for rumors like these to spread around the walls of Winterfell. That's what he kept repeating over and over again in his head while heading to the castle. He couldn't get his hopes up, because he knew he wouldn't bear the disappointment of it turning out to be a lie.

Just when he reached Jon's door he paused. What would he say to him? Hey there's this rumor going around that Arya's back. Is she here? Where is she? And sure, Jon knew that the two of them had been friends, but why was Gendry so eager to see her before the feast? Was it so difficult for him to wait?

Was it?

Before he allowed his mind to make any more ridiculous associations, he knocked on the door.

"Milord. I'm sorry to disturb you but I have been hearing some rumors going on around and I couldn't help but ask if they were true." he said immidiately and his voice came out hastier that he'd intented.

"I know all about those rumors you're talking about and I'm sorry I didn't inform you myself. Truth is, they are no rumors." Jon stopped then, as if to create an unnecessary amount of suspense. As if Gendry's nerves weren't about to explode already.

"Arya's back" once the words finally came out of Jon's mouth, Gendry felt himself just standing there in complete awe, no movement on his face and body. He couldn't react, he couldn't do anything. If it weren't for Jon's hand slightly touching his shoulder and the words "she's outside training" Gendry would still be standing there like a complete idiot.

And when he finally spoke it was as if it had been someone else speaking.

"Training. Why am I not surprised?" he said and received a smile from Jon, a smile that after a long time, seemed genuine.

After that he headed outside. For some reason gone was his rush and eagerness. He realised that above all, he was nervous at the thought of seeing his long lost friend again after all these years. His steps were slow and heavy, and while on other occasions the piercing cold would make his entire body shiver, he now felt nothing as he stepped on the snow.

He could finally make out her figure from a distance. Not quite the one he remembered, indeed, though the decisiveness in her moves remained the same. She had her back turned against him and she moved frantically with her all too familiar sword. The dexterity in her movements didn't surprise him; he'd always known she'd turn out to be a great warrior. It was the viciousness that did. There was something rutheless in the way she moved and in the growls that came out of her mouth. Before even speaking to her, Gendry had already realised that Arya was by no means the little girl he remembered.

Arya

Arya realised that the walls of Winterfell made her focus on her training even better. Maybe it was the knowledge that she was home, or maybe it was the willingness to protect that home at all costs. She pointed and kicked and at some point she let go of all techniques and dance moves and postures. She was all fire and fury. At some point she thought she heard steps behind her but she paid no attention. She just kept doing the only thing she knew she was good at. She only paused when the steps were accompanied by a voice.

"You should stand sideface!"

Every muscle in her body froze. Had she been hearing things? Had she gone completely dellusional? Was that the price of the faceless men, gradually losing your mind? Because as long as she knew, the dead had no voice. They couldn't speak. And the voice she had just heard belonged to a man she'd thought dead for years.

"Smaller target..." the voice continued. Two words that flooded her with so many memories. Arya closed her eyes for a split second, during which she tried to prepare herself for what she was about to face. When she opened them and turned around to face him, everything inside her exploded, but on the outside, she didn't even flinch.


	6. No Kid Indeed

**Gendry**

At the sight of her, Gendry felt his breath catch. She was nothing like the little girl he'd held in his memory. She still wasn't tall, but she was indeed considerably taller, her body forming curves that were visible even over the breeches, which betrayed her feminine nature. Her hair was longer, her posture straighter. And even though he longed to have the redeeming feeling of relief at seeing she was alive and well wash over him, the look on her face held him back. Understandably, her features were more mature and harsh, but there was something dark in her once playful eyes, a shadow of the ghost that was once Arya Stark. For he saw her there, but when he really _looked_ all he could see was emptiness. It scared him. Earlier, while making his way to where she was, he had planned to tease her by calling her "milady", but suddenly, being all cocky and playful didn't feel right.

Before he opened his mouth to say Gods knew what, she spoke.

"Gendry. It's nice to see you again." the tone of her voice was completely flat. Emotionless. It made him forget to even care about the fact that she actually remembered him.

"As is seeing you, Arya." at his reply, Gendry thought he saw the tiniest of reactions in her eyes, as if the name Arya didn't quite sit well with her coming from him. But it was just a flash in her eyes that lasted a split second. He could as well have imagined it.

"What brings you to Winterfell?" were her next words and Gendry tried to suppress his need to grab her arms and start shaking her. How could she act like that? As if he'd only been an acquaintance she happened to cross paths with again. As if they hadn't spent days and nights eating and sleeping and running together. This was the guy she'd got captured with. They had helped and protected each other. They'd almost been family. But no. She was stonecold.

"I was in King's Landing. Sir Davos thought to help me by bringing me here. Said I'd be valuable as a smith and with my warhammer skills." that was all he could really master at that moment. A typical reply to a typical question.

"I'm glad you found your purpose in life, after all." This time, the hint of annoyance in her voice was unmistakeable. The Arya he remembered would undoubtedly scold him about his decision to leave her for the Brotherhood who ended up betraying him. And even though the new Arya seemed reluctant to show any of her feelings, this slight hint of irritation was enough to betray her.

"Some bastards do find their place in line it seems" he said, ommitting the fact that he was not just any bastard. Perhaps she'd heard, perhaps not. Either way, he decided to play her game, so confiding in her wasn't in his immediate plans.

Arya didn't show any reaction to that, but Gendry was no fool. He realised that even after all these years and after seeing how changed she was, he could still read some parts of her like an open book. She wouldn't make any bitter comment about bastards. That wasn't her. At least not if there was still some of her left in there.

He was right. When Arya spoke again, she changed the subject.

"I thought you were dead." again, he tried to find some emotion in her voice or face, but his efforts were fruitless.

"I thought the same for you. Guess we're both tougher than we give each other credit for."

"Oh I am." she replied, but this time, she continued "But you're not tough. You're a coward." her tone was so casual that Gendry wanted to slap her out of her arrogance. However, he kept his calm demeanor going.

"Me? A coward?" He simply asked, but he couldn't control the annoyance in his voice.

"What do you call someone who spends his life in hiding?" she replied in the same tone, all the while her face sarcastic as if she was mocking him.

"And how would you know what I've been doing these past few years?"

"You yourself said that you were in King's Landing. Bet you were smithing day and night, fearing the queen might catch you. Pathetic." her voice remained calm and sarcastic and it was driving him mad. What had happened to her?

"I was smithing under the queen's nose. I risked my life. And before I got there I had to row a stupidass boat for months to escape the Red Woman. Do you have any idea what she did to me?" he asked and he didn't care that his voice was raised now.

"Oh yes of course, poor boy. Even then you acted like a coward. You let a bloody redhead twig control you. You could have fought instead of being taken away. But you did nothing. I'm sure you longed to fuck that red bitch."

That was it. She'd reached the point of no return. Bit by bit she'd made him furious. If he hadn't controlled himself he would have slapped her.

"I don't know what you've been through that has you act like this. But whatever it is you should be able to deal with it and move on instead of taking it out on others. I'm not the young lad you remember. You don't get to play around anymore. You ought to keep that in mind." and with that, he left.

 **Arya**

It had been years since she had felt her heart beat so fast at anything other than the fear of being killed by the waif. Gendry was alive, he was standing right in front of her. Millions of emotions threatened to swallow her whole, emotions she couldn't quite make out. But all that only lasted a few seconds, after which she went back to being who she had been for years. The new Arya Stark.

That was the face she showed him during their conversation. By calling him a coward she wanted to hurt him; half because she did think that she had been much braver than him and half due to her need to pay him back somehow. She wouldn't exactly admit it, but even after all those years she was still kind of mad at him for choosing to leave. Or maybe she was mad because he'd been captured, leaving her believe he had died. Maybe that's why she wanted to hurt him.

Perhaps it was just the way Arya was now. Emotionless. Heartless. Or at least that's what she wanted to show. Was this a defense mechanism? Was she only acting this way to stop herself from actually feeling again?

She noticed how his eyes were throwing flames now. She couldn't help but stare a bit too long at their blue and at the way they narrowed when he said his last words to her, his tone firm, decisive. She'd crossed a line, she knew. But she didn't care. She found it would be better this way. The person she was now was solely focused on her mission. No attatchments aside her love for her family. Just war and death. After all, that was all that was left nowadays.

She spent the rest of her day training until late afternoon. During that time she'd found out Jon was organising a feast at her honor and she honestly despised the idea. They were at war. There was only blood and death and greed and revenge. Mostly revenge. None of that was to be celebrated for. But she knew that whatever her opinion of it was, Jon wouldn't listen. He was too happy to see her alive and he was also painfully stubborn. Obviously, she wouldn't wear anything ladylike so she simply bathed, wore her breeches and waited.

 **Gendry**

"You don't seem too happy to have seen your old friend." Davos noted as he watched Gendry's puzzled expression during the feast.

"Turns out she's not my friend anymore. She's a stranger." he replied bitterly, although something inside him insisted that wasn't completely true.

"Aye, I take it the kid did a number on you." Davos sounded amused and Gendry was suddenly angry.

"She's not a kid, not anymore." at these words, he watched as Davos's gaze averted from Gendry to a spot right behind him, his expression changing immediately. He was in awe of something Gendry was in no mood to turn around and look at.

"No kid indeed" Davos exclaimed making him finally turn back to look.

There she was. She looked wild under the night sky, the firelight falling on her face and bringing out her eyes. Sure, she was in breeches still, nothing feminine about her clothing, but the way she moved and the way her eyes pierced into his once she realised he was staring, were womanly enough.

He forced himself to look back at Davos, whose smile implied thoughts Gendry wasn't sure he wanted to hear. That dirty old man would tease him till the end of time, no doudt about that.

The moment Davos opened his mouth to speak, Gendry stood up.

"I'd better fetch both of us some ale."

 **Arya**

For reasons she was reluctant to understand, she felt a wave of satisfaction wash through her once she caught Gendry's eyes inspecting her from a distance. Her first instinct was to look away, but she didn't; it'd be unlike her to avert her gaze and smile awkwardly while blushing. Instead she kept her gaze steady and she felt proud when he was the one to look away first. Truth be told, after their fight she'd been feeling uneasy. Not that she would let him or anyone know. But at the same time she didn't care if she had hurt him. She'd be hurting for years and not just for his sake, but for everyone's. Much to anyone's disappointment, she was cold now.

"Enjoying the feast little sister?" Sansa's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Sure, war is something to be celebrated." her tone was flat, but her sarcasm was obvious.

"Come on Arya, everyone needs a break." Sansa said, though she didn't look to be having fun herself either.

"Break from what? Reality?" Arya asked in an exasperated tone.

"Yes, reality. Before we die, we should at least live."

At that, she decided to remain silent. It was not like she had nothing to say, she had plenty. But she already knew Sansa's reaction to all the death-related thoughts that would come out of her mouth and she was in no mood to go on a sisters banter, much as she had missed her. She noticed then that it was after she'd seen a certain blue-eyed bastard that she had got fussier than usual. Her gaze drove at him instinctively once again, but this time she averted it quickly. Apparently, not quick enough to skip her sister's attention.

"Gendry is a friend of yours, I hear." she said, and while her tone was serious and she was looking straight ahead, not facing her, there was a hint of a smile that made Arya furious.

"Was. It's been years, I don't have any friends now." that phrase on its own could have come out desperate but Arya said it proudly, implying she needed no friends.

"That's not what he seemed to believe when he talked to us about you. He had plenty of stories to share. Jon and him often spent hours in the night talking about your little adventures." now Sansa turned to look at her, as if she was trying to read her expression.

"Little adventures? We were running for our lives!" Arya protested, her tone high-pitched and annoyed.

"Is it just me or are you a little too irritable tonight? You've been so collected and expressionless since you arrived, but now you remind me a little bit of the younger sister I loved to hate."

Arya's thoughts were suddenly all over the place. After a long time she didn't know how to handle her emotions, her thoughts, her reactions or her words. But she had to. She had to put her facade back on, she had to have control. But before she got the chance to answer, she noticed Sansa's face change into an expression that could only be described as mischievous. Arya cut her short, because she knew what she would imply and she hated the mere thought of it.

"Don't say it, Sansa." her voice sounded calm, uninterested. Perfect.

"Okay, I won't." her sister replied and the silence that followed was deafening. Until Arya decided to speak.

"We are in the middle of the biggest war of our lives and you care to talk about how me and some young bastard spent our times together years ago. You want to live sister, I understand, but amidst your life don't forget which your reality actually is." her words came out harsh and insensitive but she'd rather be harsh than live in bubble.

"I've had enough, Arya. Yes I want to live, and you want to fight, avenge, perhaps even die. But amidst _that,_ little sister,don't forget that you're not the only one who's been through hell all these years. You have no idea what I've been through. Jon too, but look at him. He's over there with your "no longer friend" drinking and laughing. Maybe you want to judge him too. We all want the same thing, and trust me, I may not know how to use a sword like you do, but I know more about battles that you will even know. I've learnt from the best of the worst."

The shallow girl Arya remembered would have been affected by her words but instead it was her that was now affected by Sansa's words. For the first time, she had absolutely nothing to say. Sansa was changed, both for the better and for the worse, it was more than obvious.

"And one more thing. He's not just some bastard, as you said. You may no longer be friends as you say, but you should at least treat him with some respect." after that, she turned to leave, but Arya stopped her.

"What do you mean he's not just some bastard?" Arya had always suspected there was something special about this particular bastard, otherwise why would everyone look for him and why on earth would her father visit him in the forge back in the day? Sansa's words sounded like pieces of a puzzle she had forgotten she'd even started.

"I thought you of all people would know. Sir Gendry is the bastard son of Robert Baratheon."

 **Gendry**

He hadn't drunk that much ale in what seemed like a lifetime and it had started becoming rather obvious. He laughed at anything and everything and when he got up to speak to Jon who had just approached him, his step was unsteady.

"One would think you'd be catching up with my little sister after all these years apart. And I tell you if it's my permission you were waiting for, it's granted."

Gendry couldn't help but laugh at that, but this time it wasn't because of the ale. Even sober he would find Jon's words quite amusing.

"I don't think of Arya to be the kind of girl someone would have to ask for permission to talk to."

"Are you implying my sister is easily approachable?" Jon asked keeping a straight, strict face but soon he smiled and said "I'm just teasing you, boy. With that sword of hers and her new battle skills she's anything but easily approachable."

"Yes... That I did notice." Gendry replied and he couldn't hide the bitterness in his voice.

"Did I miss something here?" Worry mixed with curiosity covered Jon's face.

"Nothing important" he replied simply, not in the mood to talk about the unpleasant conversation the two of them had had earlier.

"Then why is she staring at you like that?" Jon said, drawing his attention back to Arya.

Indeed this time she was looking at him persistently but it was a whole different kind of look. Earlier he wasn't able to read her even as she was staring at him, but now he could actually see the shock in her eyes, she was inspecting him and she didn't even care that he was looking right back at her. And then he spotted Sansa by her side and realized that his old friend had probably just discovered who he actually is.

Without saying a word to Jon, he rushed towards her, grabbed her by the arm and took her to the side where no one could see or hear them.

The effects of alcohol.


End file.
